Purple Roses
by iluvJonghyun
Summary: With no where else to go, Violet Whitlock goes looking for her great grandfather, Jasper. She leaves her home town Atlanta for Forks, to be with him. Little does she know that Forks holds secrets, and soon her life will be nothing but drama...
1. Chapter 1

**Violet-**  
I tugged on my black suitcase, getting off the long bus. "Are you sure this is where you're going?" the driver asked, her large eyes worried, and her red hair tangled and messy.

I nodded. "Thank you for going out of your way to get me here. You didn't have to do that." I said, grateful. Straying from her route just to get me hear. The large woman was very kind. She smiled. "I couldn't let you walk from the airport all the way here, it's not safe. Well, hope you find what you're looking for." I waved as she drove off.

I sighed and walked into town. Passing restaurants and clothing stores, there wasn't much in the small town. It was homey, in a way.

It was extremely green, though. No matter where you looked, you couldn't escape it. I kinda liked it. It was overcast and cold, my favorite weather.

My ripped, distressed, stonewashed, skinny blue jeans were tucked inside my black ugg boots. I had an old AC/DC faded band tee, with a hooded zip up jacket over it. My snow white hair was short and spiked out at the back, I remembered cutting it with my pocket knife in the dim light of the smoke filled hotel room.

I sighed at the memory and continued walking through town. I had no idea where my great grandfather was. I didn't know where to go.

There was a brick building about 100 feet from where I was standing, cop cars lining the parking lot. That had to be the police station.

I jogged across the street and into the parking lot. Maneuvering my way through the cars, I finally got to the door. I walked up the brick stairs and pushed open the glass door.

The walls were light blue, and newspapers, fliers and sticky notes covered the walls. A lean man with a shaved head sitting at a desk covered in papers looked up and smiled.

"Can I help you?" he asked nicely. "I'm looking for Jasper Hale." I said. His eyes flashed with curiosity. "Dr. Cullen's foster kid? Yeah, I know him." he said, leaning back in his chair.

My face lit up. "Could you point me in the direction of his house?" I asked. He chuckled. "On foot? It's a long way from here. Want a ride?" He stood up. I smiled. "Yes, please. Thank you."

"I'm Officer Clark, by the way." He said, extending a hand. I shook it firmly. "Violet." I stated. He smiled and led me outside into the parking lot. I wondered how he could tell which car was his, there were so many of them, all completely identical. He stopped at one, and unlocked the doors.

I climbed into the passenger seat and clicked the buckle in. He started the engine and pulled out onto the rode.

"So, what you lookin' for Hale for?" he asked, his eyes on the rode. "Oh, I'm a relative." I stated. He raised an eyebrow. "I thought the Hale kids were all alone." The Hale _kids_? As in _plural? _There was _two_ of them?

"Oh, I'm a long lost relative." I stated, partially telling the truth. He nodded, taking it all in. He was the long last relative, though.

I wondered what he was. I mean, he just disappeared out of the blue, and then suddenly someone with the same name and same face appears in this small town? Coincidence? I think not!

He turned into a driveway I hadn't seen at first, because it hadn't been almost completely hidden my trees. We drove down the long and twisting driveway, going deeper into the woods.

We pulled into a meadow with a large, white house that looked like it had been built centuries ago. I gasped in awe.

He stopped the car. "It doesn't look like they're home. Stay here, I'm gonna go check." I nodded as he climbed out of the car and jogged to the door.

He rang the doorbell. No answer. He tried again. No answer.

He jogged back into the car and got in, biting his lip. "Where are they? What am I gonna do until they get back?" I asked. "Um... Lemme call the Chief. He'll know where you can go until they get home." he said.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. I watched and waited. I could hear the phone ring on the other end, before a scruffy voice said "Hello?" Officer Clark glanced at me. "Charlie? Hey, it's Clark." he said into the phone.

"Oh, hey Clark! What's up?" the voice on the other line said. "Well, earlier a girl named Violet came to the station looking for Jasper Hale. I brought her to the Cullens' place, but they aren't home. I wanted to know where I should take her until they get home."

There was a pause on the other line, like he was thinking about it. "Bring her over here, I know where she can go. Bella will take her there." the man finally said.

Clark nodded. "Got it. Be right there." and he hung up. He drove back to the rode, a little faster this time.

"You'll like Charlie. He has a daughter, about 17." he said, keeping his eyes on the rode. I nodded. It didn't take long to get to the small farm house.

He stopped in front of the driveway and let me out. "Hope everything works out for ya!" he said. I smiled at him and shut the door, and he drove off.

I walked down the driveway and up to the door, pulling my suitcase behind me. I rang the door bell and waited.

A pale girl will shoulder length brown hair answered the door. She had her mouth opened, as if she was about to say something, as if she expected me to be someone else. She caught herself, realizing it was me, not who she thought it was.

"Umm..." she said, confused. I heard a voice coming from behind her. "OH! That's that girl Clark called me about!" He jogged up to the door with a smile, wrinkles appearing near his eyes.

He had curly brown hair and brown eyes, like the girl. It was obvious he was her dad.

"Mr. Charlie?" I asked. He nodded and extended a hand. I shook it. "You must be Violet." I nodded. "This is my daughter, Bella. She's gonna take you somewhere you can stay until the Cullens get back."

I smiled at her, and she slightly smiled back. "Come on in." Mr. Charlie said, turning on his heel. Bella followed after him, her arms crossed across her chest.

I walked in, wiping my wet shoes off on the mat. I shut the door and walked down the small hall. Bella bounded up the stairs, probably going to her room. I walked into the living room.  
"You want something to eat or drink?" he asked, nicely. I shook my head. "No thanks." I said, quietly.  
He was watching a baseball game, which wasn't in my interest. I wandered up the stairs, exploring the house. I knocked on the shut door, that was obviously Bella's room.  
"Yes?" she called from the other side. "Um... It's Violet." I said, awkwardly. I heard footsteps and the door opened.

"Yeah?" she asked, thinking I needed something. "Mr. Charlie is watching a baseball game, and I don't watch baseball. I was wondering if I could hand out up here with you until we leave." I explained.

She thought about it, then shrugged. "Sure, come on in." she said, wandering back to her bed. I walked in. The walls were light blue, and the ceiling was peaked. There were yellowed lace curtains around the window that looked over the yard. There was a desk by the far wall, and a rocking chair in the corner.  
"You have a nice room." I murmured. She smiled at me. "Thanks." I smiled back. It was so homey here.  
"I like Forks." I said, mostly to myself. Bella looked up. "What about it do you like?" she asked, closing her book.  
I shrugged. "Everything, really. As crazy as it is, I love the weather here. I like the rain, and I like it cold, and overcast. So that fits me. I like how to town is so small. It makes me feel safe. It's one of those places you can easily know everyone and be friends with them. And everyone is just so friendly here. It's not like Atlanta, I can tell you that." I said.

She was silent for a second, thinking about what I had said. "You're from Atlanta?" she asked. I nodded, turning to look at her.

"Yeah. Have you ever been?" She looked at her hands and played with her fingers. "What? Oh, no. I haven't- I've never been." she mumbled quietly, babbling a little.

"You should go someday. It's really fun. It's a big city- lots of things to do and places to see." I stated with a sigh, looking out the window again.  
She opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by the high pitched sound of a song. She reached for her bedside table and flipped open her phone.  
"Hello?... Ready for me to bring her?... Okay, see you soon." she slapped the phone shut. "That was them, let's go." she said, standing up. Them?

I followed her down the stairs. I grabbed my suitcase and went to the front door. "I'm bringing Violet to Jake's!" she called to her dad. "Okay!" he replied, and with that we were out the door.

She lead me to a old red ford pickup. I climbed in. The seats smelled faintly of tabacco and peppermint. And more strongly of something else... I took another wiff.  
What was that smell?

"You actually came at a pretty bad time." she said, turning the key, the engine roaring to life. I jumped at the sound, the engine being louder then I had expected. She chuckled. I flushed light pink.

"How so?" I asked, not looking her in the eye, embarassed. "They left to go camping for the weekend this afternoon." she stated, pulling out of the driveway.

I sighed. Dangit, I had to wait all weekend until I could see him.

She drove down the road. "Where am I gonna stay until they get back?" I asked, turning my violet eyes on her. I was named Violet for a reason. She smiled a little.

**Bella-**  
"I'm taking you to La Push. There are some guys I know that are willing to take care of you." I said. Willing was an understatement.

At first they didn't want anything to do with her, not wanting to get involved with a vampire's family member, but then they realized that she was a so called 'vulnerable' little girl.

Then they immediately changed their minds, deciding that she had no idea what she was doing, so they were gonna try to get her not to continue her search for Jasper. To keep her 'safe.'

In my point of view, she would be perfectly safe with the Cullens. The only problem would be that she would always be with Jasper, the one that had trouble with blood because he was so new.

She looked young, so she probably still played a lot. So, if she came inside looking for a band-aid after she fell, who knows what could happen.

I shook my head. No, they wouldn't let that happen.

I could obviously tell why she came looking for Jasper, though. Just looking at her I could tell she was related to him. The same facial features, and the same type of figure. Lean. I wondered if Jasper's eyes were that color when he was human...

I was a little afraid the wolves might tell her though. Telling the secret to a young girl that was related to a vampire without a second thought. I could see them doing that.

Well, I trusted them. They won't do anything rash. Well... they better not. I just need them to watch her.

"Who are the guys that are gonna watch me?" she asked, still looking at me. I smiled at the question. "Well, one is my best friend Jacob." I said. "And then a few of his friends." She smiled. "Okay." she said, satisfied with my answer.

I pulled into Jacob's driveway. "Here we are." I said.

**Violet-**  
It was a small house, tiny and red. I smiled. It was cute.

Bella cut the engine and climbed out the car, I followed. It was harder to pull my suitcase across the gravel the it was in the dirt or concrete, but I didn't complain. "JAKE!" Bella called, wandering around looking for the boy.

A tall, muscular, tan, shirtless boy ran up from behind the house. He had tan skin and black, short hair. He was wearing nothing but some cut-off jean shorts.

I raised an eyebrow as he locked Bella into a giant bear hug.

**Jacob-**  
"Sup Bells?" I asked, releasing her from the hug. She blushed and I laughed. She hadn't come down in a while. It was nice to see her again.

She gestured towards the girl next to her. She had short, spikey, choppy, snow white hair. Like someone just took a knife and sliced it right off. Her eyes were violet.

"This is Violet. The one we need you to watch." Bella said. Violet smiled at me. I smiled back. "Nice to meet you Violet, I'm Jake." I said, politely. I extended a hand out and she shook it.

Bells checked her watch. "I gotta get home, I have a huge essay due soon and I haven't even started." she said. I nodded. "Got it. Later, Bells!" Bella hopped in her car and drove away. I waved bye.

"Come on, Violet." I said. I turned on my heel and started walking. I felt something small grab my hand. I looked down to see she had grabbed it. "Where are we going, now?" she said, looking up at me.  
She looked so innocent. I smiled at her. "You'll see." I said. I walked slowly so she didn't have to rush to keep up.

"So, Violet, how old are you?" I asked, not able to tell myself. "I'm 11." she said, pulling her suitcase behind her. "Why did you come to Forks?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

"I'm here to find my great grandfather, Jasper. I have no one else to go to, and I refuse to go to an orphanage." she stated, not showing much emotion.  
I felt a slight ping of pity for her. "So, your parents...?"  
"Are dead."  
I nodded, curious about what happened but not wanting to ask, afraid I might upset her. I took her suitcase and threw it in my window at the back of the house. She raised an eyebrow at me. "Get on my back." I said. "Why?" she asked. "Just do it." I replied.

She shrugged and hopped on, a smile on her face. "You're tall." she said. I chuckled. "I know." I said. I ran into the woods, her screaming on my back from the speed.

I came to a stop at the edge of the trees. I walked out into the clearing, up to Emily's house. Violet hopped off my back, giggling like crazy. "That. Was. AWESOME!" she exclaimed. I chuckled.

The door opened, Sam standing there laughing. "We could hear you a mile away." he chuckled. I laughed and lightly punched his arm.

I heard a light and quiet sneeze and turned. Violet looked at me, wide eyed. "Sorry." she said, quickly. Sam and I looked at each other and started laughing.

"That's not a sneeze! That's like a bunny sneeze!" Sam laughed. Violet smiled at him. I collected myself and said "Violet, Sam. Sam, Violet." He highfived her. "Nice to meet you." he said. "You too." She said.

"Come on in and meet everyone else." he said, waving us in. I walked in, Violet at my heels.

One by one she met everyone, fist bumping or high fiving all the pack members. She seemed pretty happy.

**Seth  
** I walked through the door and yelled "I'M BACK!" I heard the pack chuckling in the other room. "Just in time, Seth! Violet's here!" Paul called. The girl we're watching? The one that's related to Jasper? Cool!

I walked in the room and said "Ello!" She turned around and we locked eyes. She smiled at me.

Everything inside me came undone as I stared in the violet eyes of the girl. All the lines that held me to my life were sliced apart in swift cuts, like clipping the strings to a bunch of balloons. Everything that made me who I was – my sadness for my father that died, my love for my mother and sister, my loyalty to my pack, my hatred for my enemies, my home, my name, my _self – _disconnected from me that second – _snip, snip, snip_ – and floated up into space.

I was not left drifting. A new string held me where I was.

Not one string, but a million. Not strings, but steel cables. A million steel cables all tying me to one thing – to the very center of the universe.

I could see that now – how the universe swirled around this one point. I'd never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain.

The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood.

It was the purple eyed girl that was related to a vampire.

Violet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Violet**

It was silent for half a second, and he stared at me, before gaining his posture once again. It was so fast I might have been the only one to notice it.  
He walked up and narrowed his eyes, like he was concentrating real hard. "Are those contacts?" he finally said. I was taken aback by his statement. "No." I said, slightly offended.

"What about your hair color? Did you dye it?" he questioned. I sighed. "No. My eyes and hair are both natural." He raised an eyebrow.  
His hair was black and cropped just like all the others, and he also was very tan. But, unlike everyone else, he wasn't practically half naked.

He was wearing blue jeans and and old hollister hoodie. He had sandals on, too. I wondered why he wasn't dressed like everyone else...

"So, how was school?" Emily asked him, obviously the mother figure in this family. Even though they all weren't related, they were still a family. I could tell.

"Good, I guess. I think I failed my math test." he replied, sitting down on the couch. Embry tossed him a soda and he popped it open.

I was getting kinda bored. "Are there any books around here?" I asked, in a reading mood. Emily nodded and pointed me down the hall.  
I jogged down to the end, where a tall bookcase was pushed against the wall. I began scanning the titles on the spines.

I could hear low voices in the other room, and they gradually became more fierce, still in hushed tones, though. I sadly couldn't make them out.

I could tell an argument was going on.

My eyes stopped on one title. _White Fang_ by Jack London. I smiled and pulled the book out from between _Romeo&Juliet_ and _Treasure Island._

I walked back towards the room, and once I got a few feet from the door, the mumbling and whispers stopped.

I came in and sat back on the floor, leaning against the couch between Seth's long legs. There was something about him that made me smile. He just has the happy feel emitting off him. Like the moon, making the dark enjoyable.

He smiled at me.

I cracked open the book and skipped the first few chapters with the guys trying to survive the wolves. I never really liked those chapters. I started reading when it got to the pack's perspective.

Paul had turned on the football game, so everyone was busy paying attention to the small television screen.

I could feel Seth's shadow move over me as he leaned down. "Whatcha readin'?" he asked. I smiled at the question. "Only the best book in the entire world. _White Fang_." I stated, proudly.

"I'm guessing that's your favorite book." Seth chuckled. I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I _love _it!" I said. He smiled. "What do you like about it?" he asked.

"The wolves." I stated. Something flashed through his eyes. What was that? Recognition? Curiosity? Smugness?

"Do you like wolves?" he asked, humor in his voice. I smiled wider. "Heck yes! I _love_ 'em! They are _awesome_! I want one _sooo _bad, but I think you have to have a permit."  
"Is that so..." he said quietly, almost as if he was talking to himself. "How many times have you read it?" Jake asked.  
I looked at him. "Um... probably about... 7 times. I read at a 10th grade reading level." I stated, proud.  
Embry laughed and punched Paul in the arm. "Ha! An 11 year old has a higher reading level then you do!" he chuckled. Paul glared at him.

Seth looked surprised.  
"11? Wow, you're pretty tall for an eleven year old." he stated, surprised. This made my grin widen. "Yep. She fits in with all us tall freaks perfectly!" Jake laughed. I giggled.  
Soon enough the game had attracted everyone's attention once again. But sadly, that made it more difficult then it had been before.  
Every few seconds the room would be filled with yells and screams, making my wince. I was getting a headache.

I stood up and walked outside, sitting on the porch swing as the cold breeze lightly blew my hair. I sighed, loving the cold.  
I wondered how all the boys could walk around like they did, with nothing but shorts. They must freeze half to death!  
I felt tears roll down my cheeks as I read White Fang's mother leaving, and how he tried to follow her. I always cried when I read that part. It was just so sad.  
"What's wrong?"  
I jumped, not expecting a voice. I looked up to see Seth. It was silent for a moment, before he burst out laughing.

I put a hand over my now frantic heart. "You scared the living _crap_ outta me!" I said, trying to steady my breathing. His laugh faded to a chuckle before it was completely gone.  
I had already gone back to reading before he stopped laughing. I read the paragraph again, more tears falling from my eyes.

I felt a warm thumb wipe them away, and I looked up at Seth's smiling face. "Hey, don't cry. Jasper will be home soon!"  
I hadn't even though about that. It made me think about White Fang, and his mother leaving him. But in a different way. I was like him. I knew what he felt, his mother leaving and him not able to follow.

Memories flashed through my head, playing as if I were re-living them. I felt more tears well up in my eyes.

I wiped the tears away, not letting myself cry. I fake smiled at him. "I'm not crying about him. It's just this book. When White Fang's mother leaves. I always cry when it happens."

I needed to find Uncle Jasper. He was the last hope I had. The last Whitlock, of course, I said Hale in front of others.

He was in this town, and if he was faking his last name, I'm sure it was for a reason. He smiled and sat down next to me.  
"Yeah, that's a good book." he murmured, swinging the bench swing. "How come everyone is half naked except you and Emily? And kinda Leah... well she's half naked for a girl. I mean, don't they get cold?" I asked, shutting the book.  
He didn't even hesitate before answering, like he already knew exactly how he was gonna answer me, word by word.

"We have high body temperatures. It's a Quileute thing. We're not allowed to dress like that in school, where I just came from, and Leah is just a tomboy. Emily isn't." He stated, calmly, answering all my questions at once.

I raised an eyebrow at him, not exactly believing him. "I'm serious." he pressed, smiling. I shook my head. "I don't believe you." I teased.  
He stood up and slid off his hoodie, revealing a grey t-shirt with a wolf on it. "I want that shirt!" I shrieked.

He shrugged. "Okay." he stated. I raised an eyebrow, confused. He took off his shirt and threw it in my face.

I felt my cheeks heat-up, turning pink before removing the t-shirt out of my vision. "Dude! This t-shirt it warm!" I stated.

He smiled. "See? Naturally high body temperature!" he said. I shook my head. "_No_, it was under a hoodie. _That's_ why it's warm." I said.

"Why don't you believe me?"

"Because the only way for them to have to dress like that is if their body temperature was extremely high! Not just a few degrees!"

"Fine then, I'll prove it." he smirked. I crossed my arms. "And how are you going to do that?" I asked, not buying it.

The book fell to the ground, slipping out of my hands when he grabbed me.  
Is arms where around my neck, pressing my head against his bare chest. I blushed uncontrollably. I felt my face heat up, but not from my blush.  
I shoved away, stumbling back a few steps. "That burns!" I said, rubbing my cheek with my hand. "See? I told you!" he laughed.

That was just... UN-natural. He couldn't be _that_ hot. The thought made me feel a little nervous. I was still blushing.  
"Are you really 11?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. I nodded. "Why?" I asked. He shrugged. "You're pretty tall for an eleven year old. And you act older." he stated.

I smiled a little. "Yeah, well I'm almost 12. In 3 weeks actually. And I get that a lot, I'm just really mature and tall for my age." I replied.

He smiled wider, excitement in his eyes. I sighed and leaned down to pick up the book, dusting the dirt off the old cover.

A freezing wind suddenly sent a chill down my spine, making goosebumps appear on my arms. "Let's go inside." I insisted.  
He nodded, seeing how cold I was. He grabbed his shirt and hoodie and followed behind me at my heels.

I set the book down on the counter, done reading for the day. I cracked my knuckles and took in a deep breath, only to catch a strong, familiar scent.  
"Is there a dog here?" I asked. He stopped and looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "I was just asking because it smells like dog here." I quickly explained.  
He looked worried for half a second, but then composed himself. It was so quick if I had blinked I would have missed it. Most people wouldn't have even noticed.

He shook his head. "Uh..." he awkwardly laughed. "No. There's no dog here. It just smells that way. Always has." And with that, he turned on his heel and left the room.

I was confused. What was up with him? I shrugged and sighed, bored.

I looked at the blue writing on my hand. The number Bella had written on my hand in case of an emergency.

It was obvious she didn't trust these guys that well, not with me anyway. My eyes scanned the room, looking for a phone. I found it and jogged over.

I dialed the number.

"Hello?" her voice said from the other line. Man, she sounded different over the phone. A lot more tired sounding then in person.

"Bella? It's Violet." I said. The other line was silent for a minute, and I could tell she had tensed up, even without her saying anything. Her silence just felt tense.  
"What's wrong? What happened? What did they do?" she said, panicking. I sighed. "Relax. You sound like my mom. Nothing's wrong. I know I was only supposed to call for emergencies, but I'm bored." I said, twisting the phone cord with my finger.

I hear her sigh on the other end. "Listen, I'm kind of busy." she stopped, even though she ended the sentence like she was gonna continue.  
She was thinking about something. I could tell. "Get Paul mad." she finally said. I raised an eyebrow.  
"Excuse me?" I said, confused. "Get him mad. Piss him off. You deserve to know." she said, voice regretful.  
It was like she said it, and as soon as she did she wanted to take it back. "But don't tell anyone I told you to!" she added quickly, her voice cracking.

"I won't." I said quietly. "Good." she sighed, her voice strained. "I gotta go. Bye." The line went dead.

I put the phone down. What did she mean '_you deserve to know_'? I shrugged. Guess I was about to find out.

Seth had gone back to the living room, so he was in his spot when I walked in. No one paid any mind to me. I smiled evilly, knowing exactly what to do.  
I walked over and sat next to Paul. He was so focused on the game he didn't even notice. One of the players did something and the ref blew the whistle.  
Everyone in the room went "AWE!" I looked at Paul and said "What happened? " He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. "Off sides." he said. I nodded, like I understood.

"What does off sides mean?" I asked. He gave me a look. "If someone is offsides, they are out of bounds." he murmured.

"Out of bounds...?" I questioned. "What the hell, are you _stupid_?" he said to me, slightly annoyed. I took offense to that.

"I am _not _stupid!" I said. He smirked. "Yeah, you are." He said in a smart-mouth tone of voice. "Guys..." Sam said. "No, I am not! _You're_ the stupid one!" I shrieked.  
"And how is that?" he questioned, getting mad. "_I_ have a higher reading level then you!" I pointed out. He locked his jaw.

"If x=120, and y=30, then what is xy?" I asked him, being a smart-mouth. He was silent. "Yeah, that's what I_ thought_." I murmured, victorious.

"You better shut your mouth." he growled. My brow furrowed, getting mad myself. I stood up. "Make me!" I said.  
He started shaking. "Take what you said back." he spat. I practically growled at him. "Make me, you buffoon!" I yelled.

He shook harder, more rapidly. He stood up. My expression changed. "PAUL!" Jake and Sam screamed at the same time.

"You little brat." he snarled. A ripple shot down his spine. I took a few steps back, and I heard a loud rip. Like someone took a shirt and ripped it in half. And then Paul exploded.

Dark silver fur blasted out, making him 10 times larger then he had originally been. I soon found myself staring in the black eyes of a snarling wolf.  
"RUN VIOLET!" I heard Seth scream over the wolf's snarls. I turned around and shot out of the room as fast as I could, running how baseball players do.

It went after me, clawing across the wood floor, struggling to get through the door. I jumped off the porch, not wasting my time with the stairs.

I couldn't outrun it. I didn't turn around, knowing that only people that get caught look back. I huffed, running as fast as I could.  
I heard several more ripping sounds, and more snarls. I didn't turn. I made it to the edge of the trees and sprinted through the woods.

My side cramped, but I didn't stop. All I could think about was the wolf. It... It came out of Paul. Or Paul turned into it... I didn't know.

Werewolf. He was a werewolf. That's why it smelt like dog in that house! And the rip of fabric, that had to be his pants. That had to be why they wore so little clothes.

_Monsters. Not human._

That was all I could think of, those 3 words. That's all that played in my head, over and over I told myself that.

Finally, I was so out of breath it hurt. I fell to my knees, unable to run another inch. I crawled across the forest floor, towards a tree that had been partially up-rooted, the roots making a cage-like structure.

I climbed between the roots, hiding in the small hole. My breathing ragged, loud, and uneven. I hugged my knees to my chest, shaking.

I was covered in dirt and sweat, and my legs ached and my throat burned. I leaned my head back against the trunk I was inside. It was dark inside my cage-like hiding place. But that meant they couldn't see me.

I heard footsteps in the distance, they were heavy and swift. Someone was running in the direction of my hiding place.

I stopped breathing, a line of sweat on my forehead. I swallowed hard, my heart beating 100 miles per hour.

The footsteps got louder as the person – or wolf – got closer. I dug my fingers into the dirt, clups of brown digging under my fingernails.  
I locked my jaw, not trusting myself to stay quiet. My instincts were screaming at me to run, but my brain was yelling at me to stay were I was, remain quiet, and hope to god I don't get found.

I know saw feet, stopping in front of my hiding place. I could only see the feet, tan and barefoot, through the tangled, thick roots.

I swallowed hard, not breathing. I was shaking rapidly, terrified. I heard the person inhale deeply, like they were smelling the air.

They turned and came towards my hiding place, and my heart stopped. I had been found. It was all over now. I reached for my back pocket, preparing to call the police.

To my pure and utter horror, it wasn't there. And I remembered setting it on the coffee table back at Emily's.

I grabbed a sharp, hard, thick root near my foot, and held it like a weapon. I clutched it so hard my knuckles turned white.

They stopped in front of the tree, and began to lean down. Memories flashed before my eyes, everything I had gone through re-lived in not even half a second. And I suddenly was stronger and braver.

I had come to far in my life for it to end like this. After everything I've been through, I was still here. And I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

I lunged at my seeker.


End file.
